The present invention is related to comparators, and more particularly to comparators that are programmable to reduce oscillation.
Various comparators have been developed that allow for comparing two input signals and providing an output signal indicating the result of the comparison. In some cases, the two compared signals vary around voltages near one another. For example, two comparator inputs may exhibit an overall variance of between zero and three volts and have substantial separation between the voltages of the inputs. However, for extended periods of time the same two comparator inputs may each vary between 0.2 and 0.3 volts with one of the inputs being higher than the other at one time and lower than the other at another time. In such a situation, the switch from one input being higher than other to being lower than the other may be due more to noise than any substantial change. In such a case, the output of the comparator may oscillate as the comparator inputs change relative to one another due to noise. This scenario may result in one or more errors such as, for example, false comparator readings.
Hence, for at least the aforementioned reasons, there exists a need in the art for advanced systems and methods for implementing comparators.